Russell Shaw's Brainstorm Central

What I Dreamt Last Night

Last night, I had two interconnecting dreams.

I dreamt that my sister was rooming with me, but I had to ask her to leave because my girlfriend would not spend the night if she was there, and my sister was uncomfortable with it, as well.

Then, after the conversation I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. The block resembled a place I lived in some time back. I started composing a song in my head with lyrics that described the predicament I walked outside to process.

Immediately after stepping outside, I ran into Jeff Cook, the guitarist of the group Alabama. Have never met Jeff Cook, nor even seen the group live, so I don't know where that came from.

Anyhow, after hearing my lyrics, he thought that would make a great song. He asked me if I would like to sell the rights to the song to him. Flat out, he mentioned "$4784." I stood outside while he walked into the house across the street.

I was wondering whether he meant "$47.84," or "$4784." After a few minutes, he came back out, check in hand, for the higher amount. I looked at the check to determine its authenticity. It was written on a bank I hadn't heard of before, or might have been written on some sort of fund, but it looked good. Then he called me into the house to meet one of his managers, and another band member.

Then, when I walked back across the street, I saw a mass of black. It looked like seals huddled together. But closer examination revealed it was some black labs. When I leaned over to have a closer look, they started melting into the sidewalk.

Before the Alabama dream, I pictured myself in what I thought was Washington, D.C. Walked the streets, ran into a bunch of nudists on the sidewalk who tried to enlist me in some sort of street theater performance. I walked away toward an intersection, but soon realized I did not recognize any of the buildings. I did run into a friend I have not seen in at least ten years, and asked him if I was dreaming. He said something to the effect that although we were dead, there are cities like this on each plane of existence, and the difference in the quality of life on this plane was little than I had experienced before.

I wake up with no songwriter's check for $4784, but I am alive. A good tradeoff, I must say.

Another Famous Namesake

Some guy with my name got written up in a poker magazine for drawing a super-stud, whatever that means. (Not that I care what the term means in poker, or in real life).

New to the game, the bloke won 8,243.67 pounds on a one-pound bet.

Attaboy, Russ, for doing us proud.

Cool.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

But it will be blogged.

You do need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows: Today, Kathy Boudin was released from prison.

His grasso is asso: Today, Dick Grasso, whose pay scale rivals only A-Rod, was ushered out of NYSE post.

Weapons of Mass Deception: Today GWB said no link between Saddam and 9/11.

But hurricanes still spin counter clockwise, and soon to lose its e-tether, Galileo will have a fatal date with the hot gasses of Jupiter.

Take comfort. This *is* an ordered universe...

RS

Some Of Us Are Being "Fooled Again"

"Don't it make you angry, the way war is draggin' on.." "Dialogue," by Chicago, as sung by their then-guitarist Terry Kath, at a concert in 1969.

"Well I hope the President knows what he's into I don't know..." reply as sung by then-bassist Peter Cetera at the same concert.

Fast forward to Chicago's PBS "Soundstage" concert, recorded this summer:

"Don't it make you angry, the way war is draggin' on.." "Dialogue," by Chicago, as sung by their great vocalist and current keyboard player Bill Champlin, on "Soundstage" in 2003.

"Well I hope the President knows what he's into I don't know..." reply as sung by current-bassist Jason Scheff at the same concert.

Johnny Cash

When I was barely into my double-digit years, I turned on the radio. There was a voice singing "I Walk The Line." I could not get the melody line out of my head. It played back to me as I sat in the classroom, doodled in my room at home, walked in the street. That deep baritone voice reminded me of the cadence neighbor who was a cop. Both men had their own demons, yet both voices elucidated with authority.

Then, more than two decades later in 1984, I sat in an Atlanta hotel restaurant, holding a tape recorder. I had an assignment from USA Today to interview the singer of that song. He walked in, and his hand shook mine. We talked forthrightly and honestly, thoughtfully, without the hype that so many others of celebrity resorted to.

His voice, stilled today, is for the ages.

A Low Tide Grounds All Boats

A friend was hoodwinked into writing an article for a technology magazine with no editorial budget. What happened to him is instructive of travails in this sector.

I do think that a large part of the problem is, that with technology market conditions being what they are, some publishers are unfortunately thinking of paying for articles as a highly attractive strategy. Too many think, "why should I pay for this stuff when I can get it for free?" Obviously, there is no shortage of folks out there eager to write for free, and hoping for some promotion in the process. Publishers who adapt this model do not seem to care that even when canned copy does not overtly promote some product, it is written with a specific goal in mind --- show me as an expert, and hire me. That contrasts with a more journalistic approach, where the journalist is an advocate for the reader first, not for h/her own business first.

Of course there were publications adapting the "canned pieces" strategy at the height of the tech boom, but most of those publications were fourth or fifth-buy rags that could not compete with the fat verticals of the time --Computerworld, Information Week, Internet World, etc. Now, even the formerly prosperous verts are gone, or a shell. They have enough trouble making money, and so what you have is a reversal of the boom times paradigm. A low tide grounds all boats.

Business people will gladly write for free, but printers will not print for free.

The solution is to not quash tech sector industriousness by policies that favor monopolies, but to promote competition. A more level playing field would foster entrepreneurship that would feed the ad engine, elevate some publications, start new ones, and result in more paying opportunities.